Why does the body have organs which have no purpose,e.g.lik. tonsils and apendix?

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Answers:
Ahh, but they do have a purpose. That is the amazing thing about medical practice. It is a "practice".

Years ago when you were ill, leeches were attached to your body to bleed you because it was believed you had too much blood and that was what was causing your illness.

In more recent years, if you had a sore throat fairly frequently, they cut out your tonsils. That didn't always help.

According to an article:
"Tonsillectomy was first described in India in 1000 BC. The procedure increased in popularity in the 1800s.In addition to producing lymphocytes, the tonsils are active in the synthesis of immunoglobulins. Because the first lymphoid aggregates in the aerodigestive tract, the tonsils are thought to play a role in immunity."

The most important detail in that little excerpt is that we do need the tonsils.

Other Answers:
they help with infections

Because they haven't evolved away ..yet. so that the doctors can retain their job to remove it..

Evolution

some argue that it stems from evolution. i'm not so sure i agree with that, but it makes a compelling argument

They do have purpose.
They are both part of the immune system.

Just because you dont know the purpose of an organ doesn't mean it doesn't have a purpose.

It isn't that they have no purpose.they originally did but since we adapted to certain conditions we see that certain organs are no longer needed as much. The tonsils actually do serve a pupose. They are part of the immune system. They are also subject, like the appendix, to infection. They also serve the purpose of making money for doctors and hospitals.

tonsils do have a use i had problems with my wisdom teeth and ended up giving me tonsilitus but apparently it would have been worse for my body if the infectin had been further in my system

Tonsills do have a purpose. It collects germs. But after a while they just kind of get nasty and have to be removed. The appendix use to do the same thing. I cant think of any other organs that have no purpose. Well sometimes peoples brains but you know how that goes. Teee Heeee

Your tonsils *do* serve a purpose. They help fight infection (if you haven't had to have them removed). For many years, people thought there was no reason to have tonsils, but as I learned in Biology class, doctors now know that tonsils fight infection. ALL HAVE A PURPOSE.THOSE TWO HAVE USE IN EARLY LIFE AND AREN'T NECCESARY LATER.GOD HAS NO WASTE.SCIENCE CATCHES UP SLOWLY.

tonsils and apendix?. They both have their use.. perhaps we don't know what exactly.

these organs are known as vestigial organs.they used to function in our ancestors but do not function now.appendix functioned in our ancestors because they ate lots of plants.it still functions in cows.these organs serve as a link between various species.

Not sure about apendix- i've never read about it- but there is a reason, most just don't know it so we remove them. We need tonsils for example to help stop bacteria from entering our lungs. Most who have them taken out get sick quicker then someone who's still got them.

The body's designed the way it is for a reason.

They are both part of the immune system and help protect against infection.

The wall of the appendix contains lymphatic tissue that is part of the immune system for making antibodies.

They were needed once. Maybe or they might be needed in the future. Think about it. Are we finished evolving? The Tonsils are believed to help fight infection.
The appendix gets infected! LOL!
It is believe many centuries ago, the Appendix was like a second stomach/food pouch. People did not eat as readily as we do, as they hunted and foraged. The Appendix gave an extra holding area for food so they could eat more when they did have food. Over time as people began to eat more often due to Organized Farming the Appendix sort of Shriveled up and not do anything.
Not sure this is true, it just a Theory of Evolution. But, it sounds like a good explanation.
They say the Little Toe is next to go. Then we will have four toes and five fingers. ;-)

Most of the organs that have no use were previously used when the liftestyle of our species benefited from their presence. Our diet, the envionment and how we lived use dto be very different. We as a species had these organs to do specific tasks in the past, and now no longer need them.

Now through survical of the fittest those members of a species that have some sort of advantage over other members due to gentis variations will pro-create faster and better until eventually everyone of the species has that variation. Because not having these organs is no real advantage to us it is unlikley that these organs will ever disappear from out bodys through evolution, we basically just put up with them.

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Why does the body have organs which have no purpose,e.g.lik. tonsils and apendix?

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